Hi friends! Lately I’ve been in the mood for all kinds of bold Vietnamese flavors. I was recently thinking about an hors d’oeuvre that I’ve made a dozen times with lemongrass chicken meatballs. I serve them in mini lettuce cups with a zesty carrot and cilantro sauce. I thought, why not turn one of my favorite simple light bites into a lunch( or dinner too) that’s a little bit more filling. This is where the idea for a rice noodle bowl came to mind!
Rice noodles are just about one of the easiest things to make and they’re filling too. Who doesn’t love a bowl full of noodles? I thought I would start out with a bed of butter lettuce and build my bowl from there with some quick pickled watermelon and daikon radishes.
The combination of silky rice noodles, juicy meatballs, tangy radishes, and crunchy lettuce all work so well together here! I recommend always keeping some toasted sesame seeds and cilantro and mint on hand for a garnish.
Ingredients
Lemongrass Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 stalk lemongrass (bottom 5 inches only) smashed with rolling pin, then minced
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Meatball Sauce
- 1 lemongrass stalk, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons coarsely grated carrot
- 4 teaspoons golden brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced green Thai chile or serrano chile with seeds
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
Pickled Radish
- 1 cup radish
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Other Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup cooked rice noodles
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 2 Fresh mint and cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Chill chicken in freezer while making lemongrass paste. Combine lemongrass, 1/2teaspoon salt, and remaining ingredients in processor; pulse until paste forms.Add chicken; pulse to blend. Shape into 24 balls (each about 1 tablespoonful).Place on rimmed baking sheet. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
- Cut bottom 3 inches from lemongrass. Smash with rolling pin, then mince.Measure 1 tablespoon and place in small bowl (reserve the rest for another use).Add lime juice, fish sauce, cilantro, carrot, sugar, and chile to bowl; whisk untilsugar dissolves.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs; brown until cookedthrough, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer to 1 side of largeplatter.
- Arrange lettuce leaves in a bowl. Top with rice noodles, meatballs, pickled radish, sauce, fresh cilantro, mint and sesame seeds.